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Tech talk envelops verticals

During an interview with Professor Jim Bookbinder of the University of Waterloo last week, we got to talking about just how effectively technology matters have pushed their way into trade banter within various vertical markets.

Take the logistics market, which Professor Bookbinder devotes much of his research to. Where before the discussion was usually around “trucks and inventories and better deliveries”, today it’s all about new software.

The professor cautioned that the people charged with getting goods from point A to point B shouldn’t lose sight of the core objectives involved with their tasks and should remind themselves that technology is simply a means to that end. From my conversations with folks in other industries, this absorption in technology matters is not limited to the logistics space; a dicey preoccupation with tech tools is occuring in many industries.

Bookbinder believes that eventually things will balance out again and technology will assume a more realistic slice of the discussion. And I have to believe he’s right, for the companies that use IT to thrive will be the ones that already get the concept of tech/core balance. Many of the ones who don’t will either go away or not have enough market share to set industry standards.